When agents moved to arrest their four-man crew in March at a Laredo warehouse, gunfire broke out and Jerome Corley, a cousin of Kevin Corley, was killed.

Kevin Corley, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, and Davis pleaded guilty Wednesday to drug, firearm and murder-for-hire charges. They face up to life in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

“He's taken responsibility for his actions, but there's more to this case than it appears,” said Kevin Corley's San Antonio attorney, Anthony Cantrell.

Still facing charges are former Sgt. Samuel Walker, 28, of Colorado Springs and Calvin Epps, 28, of Hopkins, S.C.Mario Corley, 40, of Saginaw and Robert Corley, 23, of Columbia, S.C., previously pleaded guilty to drug charges, and Marcus Mickle, 21, also of Hopkins, pleaded guilty to drug and firearms charges.

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Undercover DEA agents were investigating associates of Kevin Corley for drug trafficking last year, according to court documents.

The agents, pretending to be Zetas, began to up the ante, purchasing guns and military material and discussing hiring him to train cartel killers.

Eventually, the agents hired Corley and three others to raid a ranch where supposed Zetas rivals were keeping cocaine, prosecutors allege. The men were to be paid $50,000 and five kilograms of cocaine.